PBOT

With only three weeks left in the year, I’ve been thinking about how I can best use my project time in 2017.

What I’m reading this week:

Four Million Commutes Reveal New U.S. ‘Megaregions’ – “As megaregions grow in size and importance, economists, lawmakers, and urban planners need to work on coordinating policy at this new scale. But when it comes to defining the extent of a megaregion, they find themselves running into the same problems geographers and cartographers have always had when trying to delineate conceptual areas. Because megaregions are defined by connections—things like interlocking economies, transportation links, shared topography, or a common culture—it’s tough to know where their boundaries lie.” –via National Geographic

DO: Check out the “megaregion” map for your area. Is where you live and work in a region that makes sense from a transportation planning funding perspective?

Let’s Not Be Divided. Divided People Are Easier to Rule. – This is a great, short read by Trevor Noah. “the vast majority of Americans, both Republican and Democrat, wanted many of the same things: good jobs, decent homes, access to opportunity and, above all, respect.” “When you grow up in the middle, you see that life is more in the middle than it is on the sides. The majority of people are in the middle, the margin of victory is almost always in the middle, and very often the truth is there as well, waiting for us.” –via The New York Times

DO: How can we focus on more nuance in our daily life?

Sally Jewell on the Future of the Department of the Interior – Interesting interview with Sally Jewell, our outgoing Secretary of the Interior on climate change, public lands and advice for incoming Secretary. “We all come with a set of skills, and those are useful but not sufficient, so surround yourself with people that help fill that gap. Second, this job is about listening deeply to different points of view. You can’t go in with a fixed frame.” “the first outdoor-industry study based on hard data showed that the recreation economy is almost as big as pharmaceuticals, motor vehicles, and motor-vehicle parts combined. That is extraordinary. That narrative has been lost, oftentimes, to the value of public lands for extractive purposes. But what the REC Act begins to do is to monetize the value of lands in conservation. This is an industry that employs millions of people. It supports rural economies. The legislation will ensure that it continues. “–via Outside Online

Real Christmas Trees Or Fake Ones — Which Are Better For The Planet? – Since it’s December, I was thinking about Christmas trees and the impact on the environment and community. In the Pacific Northwest, it seems like real Christmas trees are the way to go since it supports the local economy – the trees are grown for the purpose of being Christmas trees and trees are “recyclable” back to nature. Things I hadn’t thought about: buying a fake try can make sense in areas that don’t have Christmas trees local or if you keep it for a very long time (8-20 years). — via HuffPo

DO: Consider the pros and cons of real versus fake as you decorate this year.

Vancouver’s Multi-Modal Success Story – Gordon Price (urban planner and influential in a lot of transportation and land use success for the City of Vancouver for several decades) was our final lecture for my Traffic & Transportation class. This video shows some of the more resent work the city has made to reach 50% sustainable mode share (bike, walk, transit) a full four years earlier than goal (2020). –via StreetFilms

DO: How can we help reach a more sustainable split of driving versus walking, biking, transit here? This week, if you’re going less than 1 mile, try walking.

A policy that works: Raising the minimum wage– Higher minimum wages result in greater earnings for low wage workers, and no loss of jobs. “The key argument against raising the minimum wage is that it would somehow cause employers to reduce the hours of work of employees subject to the minimum, and thereby lower the total number of job opportunities.” Such a strange phenomenon that the going thought is still that raising minimum wage reduces employment, when research and real examples has proven otherwise. –via City Observatory

DO: Read up on Oregon’s minimum wage rates that will increase to $14.75 by 2022.

I’ve had some fascinating conversations in the last week about land use (rent, housing, parking), transportation, politics, public lands, and race! Like many, I’m feeling a mix of hope and fear for our communities and country. I’ve been trying to listen and ask more questions. With the holiday season here, the next month is going to fly by. I need to make a conscious effort to keep this Better Portland project going.

What I’m reading this week:

Parking: The price is wrong – this article has an interesting look at Portland handicap placard use and how changing the policy around it freed up parking and abuse of the placards “Spaces occupied by placard users dropped 70%.” “The larger lesson here should be abundantly clear: charging users for something approaching the value of the public space that they are using produces a transportation system that works better for everyone.” –via City Observatory

DO: Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is currently studying parking in five neighborhoods: St Johns, NE 28th, Hollywood, Division, Mississippi. Portland City Council will be discussing NW parking on Dec 22, 2016.

Choosing a Daily Political action – I signed up for several of these daily political action emails/websites this week to see what they recommend. MyCivicWorkout (5-30 minute “workouts” for civic activism), Flippable (winning the country back one seat at a time), and DeedsDigest (Deeds not words). One of the things I found in common when I signed up for these, they’re geared more for folks in red states, but still useful reminders.

DO: Sign up for a daily political action email and see if it’s useful or changes any of your weekly behavior.

City of Portland boosts network with 5.6 miles of newly buffered bike lanes – PBOT used $80,000 that was left over from larger capital projects that came in under budget to upgrade 5.6 miles of bike lanes around Portland for safety upgrades. “Along with new buffers on existing bike lanes, the city has also put the money toward bike-related crossing treatments at major intersections, signage, and new bike lanes where they didn’t exist before.” –via Bike Portland

DO: Have you noticed any of these upgrades? There’s a full list on the link above. Share or reach out to let the city know you like this and want to see more!

DO: Check out the idea list halfway through article. Give to organizations, start using your social channels for advocacy, make calls etc. GiveGuide has a great roundup of our local environmental nonprofits to support.

DO: Pick one thing from the list and do it this next week. This last week I tried to focus on diversifying my media.

Rents are plunging in the most expensive markets – Fascinating article about housing market and the new apartment supply. Average rents are actually decreasing year over year, and landlords are piling on the concessions… “Nearly all of the new supply is high end, and it is pressuring the market from the top down.” “None of the razor-thin capitalization rates landlords used a year ago to bamboozle creditors into lending them money make sense anymore. Vacant units make their plight worse. Creditors are getting nervous. But the renting folk, after having their lifeblood squeezed out of them over the past years, will have the option of moving again a year later, with lots of apartments to choose from – or commence tough negotiations with the landlord – to get a better deal in this new phase of Housing Bubble 2.” –via Business Insider

DO: Here in Portland, average rent for a 2 bedroom has actually decreased 4.7% year over year to $1,620. Have you seen any signs of a “Housing Bubble 2”? Think about how another could impact you and your community.

This Week’s Actions: This week, I shared what I’m working on with a few more people, stayed off Facebook (19 days now!), signed up for several “political action” emails and websites, and contacted a few political leaders in Washington.

About

Just a Portlander working on action steps for our lovable, livable city. I'm documenting what I learn as I try to help make our city a better place. The goal for myself is less news and social media consumption “faux action/outrage”, more listening, more action.